~LENORA'S POV
"Zephyr." His voice was low, husky, curling around the word like a caress.
I stood there transfixed with my heart hammering in my chest as he towered over me, his presence seeming to fill the space around us.
The music, laughter, flashing lights - they all blurred and faded. All that remained was him and me, suspended in a moment that felt both fragile and charged.
My eyes tracked the glint of his silver tongue piercing which glinted in the dim-light as he licked his bottom lip. A small detail, almost careless— but still stirred something low in me.
Can this man get any hotter than he already is?
The name Zephyr suited him perfectly. He moved, spoke, and breathed as though he was made of power and beauty.
His voice brushed against me like a warm breeze, and I couldn't help but stiffen because it felt like I was torn in between awe and something far deeper, something I didn't understand.
"You good?" he asked, leaning closer. Even the smallest movement brought him almost brushing against me, a subtle pressure I hadn't anticipated.
I looked up, and met his gaze. For a moment, I thought I saw crimson flicker at the edges of his irides. It was a flash that was gone in a millisecond. Am I imagining that? I wondered, trying to stay grounded.
Must be the drink.
"Uhm... yeah. Everything's g-good," I stammered, my voice barely audible over the loud music being played. His smirk widened, sly, dangerous, and impossible to ignore.
"I'm Lenora," I whispered with my eyes locked on the plane of his chest, where subtle strength showed through beneath the fabric of his shirt. I was drawn to this man in ways I didn't understand.
And that disturbs me.
His hand wrapped around mine, large, warm and grounding. Sparks shot through me from fingers to heart, tingling in a way that felt both familiar and terrifying.
He lifted my palm to his lips, brushing a tender kiss over my skin. Sparks again, but deeper this time as it felt like I've finally grasped unto something that had been out of reach for me.
If a hand kiss could make me feel this way, what would a lip kiss do?
'Wait, no, no Lenora. You can't think like that. There's Jason, your boyfriend who loves you so much, and here you are, having lewd thoughts about a man you just met.' I internally scolded myself, pulling my hand from his. I felt my actions were a little bit rude but Zephyr doesn't seem to mind as his grin never faltered from his face.
"I haven't seen you here before," I spoke, trying to make the situation less awkward for me. I gulped my drink, my eyes scanning the crowd for a green-haired buzz cut figure.
Where could Jason have gone to?
He didn't even announce his dismissal to me, he just vanished without a word.
And Skye…..
"Are you new here?" I added, curiosity and caution tangling in my chest. This was a small college, and I would have seen posters, photos, rumors…or at least heard something, because someone like him couldn't have gone unnoticed by these needy college girls who would've started some sort of fandom.
"You could say that," he replied, flicking his pierced tongue over his lip. Amusement danced in his eyes.
"Do you want to dance?" His words came as a whisper in my ear, making goosebumps flare along my spine.
I hesitated, thinking of Jason, of what this might mean, but Zephyr's gaze was so sharp, so magnetic. I nodded, "Yeah... sure."
He led me to the dance floor, his broad shoulders and chiseled features drawing eyes to us, and I couldn't help but feel a primal pride within me, knowing that he had chosen me to dance with.
I started grounding lightly to the beat, aware of the subtle connection circling around us. Then the music shifted, and I tried to shake off the feeling of being watched as I swayed my hips to the rhythm, my body moving in sync with the music.
Zephyrs gaze burned with a quiet intensity that made me feel as though I had found a missing piece of me.
My eyes stayed glued to his horns and I couldn't resist reaching out to touch them, but I paused midway, thinking my action was rude.
"You can touch it," he whispered, nodding toward his horn. My fingers trembled as I traced the base, feeling the texture of the makeup.
He chuckled, deep and low, the sound vibrating through his chest into mine.
"Who was the makeup artist? I could really use their help next time." I joked, tugging at my own horns to act casual.
"My mum helped with this," he gestured to himself, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "My dad helped too, but my mum did most of the work."
A warm flicker of humanity crossed his expression before his raw intensity returned.
The music changed again, and I started dancing sexily, swaying my hips with Zephyr pressed firm behind me.
I started grinding against his crotch and my heartbeat picked up faster as I felt a long, hard thing poking my bum, I couldn't help but think,
'I couldn't have caused that,'
I pressed closer, moving my hips to the beat. My body grinding lightly and his hardness pressed subtly against me.
I gasped inwardly in disbelief, because no one else has ever... Not Jason. Not any guy I'd been with was able to stay erected, and even if they did, it goes flaccid almost immediately.
Zephyr's hands on my waist tightened like a vice as he leaned close, his breath whispering across my ear. "Careful little dove, You wouldn't want us to give your little friends a show hm?"
A wave of heat pooled low in my belly at his words. That nickname also, did things I couldn't control, but for some reason, it felt awfully familiar.
Dove…
He lowered his head to my neck, taking a long sniff, and I felt my eyes flutter closed as he groaned, "You smell so good," I felt his lips curled into a smirk on my neck as it brushed against my skin.
I was lost in the moment, my fingers crooked at the back of his neck, pulling him deeper into my neck, feeling his warm breath on my skin. But then, I felt it - a gaze on me.
My eyes darted around the swarm of people and everyone was lost in their own little worlds but I could feel the weight of a stare which feels like a physical touch, making my skin prickle with awareness.
I tried to process the sensations, but my thoughts were a jumbled mess, as Zephyr's tongue darted out to lick a stripe from the crook of my shoulder to my earlobe. His piercing felt like a cold, wet kiss, making my eyes roll back and a soft moan escaped my lips.
Zephyr's hands tightened around my waist, owning without needing words as his lips continued to assault my neck. I closed my eyes, curling fingers at his nape, pulling him closer.
Then it hit me again.
Cold. Piercing. Unwavering.
I opened my eyes to meet an icy blue gaze staring right at me, his midnight-black hair sleeked back as his eyes burned with an insane fervor that seemed to measure from afar. Each step he took drew a taut, drinking me in like he was memorizing every inch of me.
"T-that guy..." I whispered.
Zephyr let out a hum, a gentle vibration that seemed to say, 'go on, I'm listening.'
"He's staring," I breathed, eyes locked on the stranger's smooth, deliberate approach.
"You like the idea of being watched, hm?" Zephyr murmured against my ear with his hands flexing around my waist possessively and intimately, as if staking a claim I didn't understand.
The air shifted, as if the room had suddenly contracted, and my pulse was hammering when the stranger got to us.
"This is Lucian," Zephyr said, his voice dropping octaves lower.
The name didn't carry threat. It carried gravity. Awareness. Something unspoken.
I didn't know who this man really was. I didn't understand any of it. But I knew one thing: I would remember him.
And I was already caught.